Florida QB Anthony Richardson declares for 2023 NFL draft

Florida QB Anthony Richardson is skipping the Las Vegas Bowl and entering the 2023 NFL draft.

Richardson announced his decision on Monday. The Gators QB is a potential first-round selection in the upcoming draft. He's the second high-profile SEC QB to declare for the draft after Kentucky's Will Levis. Alabama QB Bryce Young is also likely to declare for the draft at some point in the near future.

Richardson started all 12 games for Florida as it went 6-6 in 2022. Richardson was 176-of-327 passing for 2,549 yards and threw 17 TDs and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 654 yards and nine TDs.

Richardson’s statistics aren’t eye-popping and he’s been inconsistent throughout his college career. After starting the season by completing 71% of his passes against Utah and rushing for three touchdowns, he was 14-of-35 passing for 143 yards and two interceptions in a Week 2 loss to Kentucky. And after accounting for four touchdowns in a win over Texas A&M, Richardson completed less than 50% of his passes for 112 yards against South Carolina. He also ended the season by completing just nine of his 27 pass attempts against Florida State.

The redshirt sophomore had four games in 2022 with a completion percentage better than 60% and also had four games where he completed fewer than 50% of his passes. But Richardson’s elusiveness and explosiveness along with his ability to make tough throws make him a possible early pick for a team in need of a quarterback of the future.

Richardson’s announcement isn’t entirely unexpected and leaves Florida set to start an inexperienced quarterback in the Dec. 17 bowl game against Oregon State. Backup QB Jalen Kitna appeared in four games in 2022 but was dismissed from the team last week after he was arrested on child pornography charges. Ohio State transfer Jack Miller looks to be in line to start after he spent the second half of the season No. 3 on the depth chart upon returning from a thumb injury.